[Author's Note: Chapters 1–7 will be prologue. The main story begins in Chapter 8.]
South of the Nile, Nubis City.
Night.
Located near the desert, the city was dry and hot during daytime, but at night, the air turned bitterly cold, cold enough that those with weaker bodies felt like they might freeze.
Achoo!
"Even though the night was cold, the city was still full of energy. People filled the streets, going about their business. From far away, Nubis looked bright, houses lit up and tall buildings shining against the dark sky."
Achoo!
Achoo!
"Just like the saying, where there's light, there's always shadow. Nubis too, despite its vitality, had some places totally in the dark. Near the slum, in the depths of downtown, sat an old villa."
Achoo!
ACHOO!
ACHOO!!!
"Shut up!!!" a beggar with unkempt hair and a dirt-streaked face finally roared, his voice booming like a lion's.
The man who had been sneezing nonstop jumped in surprise, his sneeze came to an abrupt stop.
"Damn it! If you can't handle the cold, wear something warmer!" the first beggar snapped, glaring at the man who was obviously also a beggar, but wore even thinner clothes than him.
"I'm sorry," the second beggar mumbled, clearly embarrassed. "Someone stole my robe last night. This is all I've got left."
"You got robbed?" the first beggar asked, tone softening slightly.
"Yeah... and with all the cops out today doing street sweeps, I didn't make a cent. I had to dig through restaurant trash just to eat."
The first beggar muttered something under his breath, then tossed a bundle toward him.
The second beggar caught it, eyes widening. "This is…?"
"My old robe," the first beggar grunted.
"Don't get too happy. I'm not giving it to you. I'm loaning it. Got it? Once you find something better, you return it to me."
"Yes, yes! Thank you, boss!" the second man beamed, hugging the robe like it was treasure.
"Boss, you're so generous!" another beggar chimed in. "This afternoon, a beautiful lady started chasing me. I think she must've fallen for me or something. In the process, she tore my pants. Think you could lend me a pair?"
The first beggar was speechless, then he waved his hand furiously. "Do I look like a fool to you? What kind of lady would chase after you because she's fallen for you? Unless she was blind and brain-dead! More likely, you stole something and she chased you down!"
The other beggars burst into laughter.
Once the laughter died down, another beggar leaned in and asked, "But seriously, boss, what's the story with that old villa? I've heard a lot of people talk about it, but they always get weird once I ask them the question. They only told me not to go near it."
The first beggar nodded, ready to speak—when his eyes caught movement in the distance. A stream of figures was emerging from the shadows.
When he recognized their uniforms, his face instantly went pale with fear.
"Inquisitors!" he shouted.
"Run!"
In an instant, the group of beggars scattered in all directions, vanishing into alleys and behind dumpsters, leaving behind only their stinky stench in the air.
In contrast, the approaching group didn't react to the group of beggars' action. They continued to walk in formation, like soldiers marching to the battlefield.
Leading them was a tall figure dressed in a white robe embroidered with golden threads. A hood attached to the robe concealed its face.
They moved through a series of narrow alleyways and makeshift shelters pieced together by the homeless. Eventually, they came to a stop in front of rusted iron fences.
Beyond it stood a large building. It looked so completely out of place in the slum area.
It was completely dark, with no lights and no signs of life. Every window was shattered, with torn white curtains swaying gently in the breeze. The yard was overrun, wild grass climbing to an adult's knees. The iron gates and fences were rusted, parts broken, or missing entirely. From the outside, it looked abandoned. Forgotten. Like no one had lived there in years.
Suddenly, the tall figure pushed the hood back, revealing a caucasian face with sharp features, blonde hair, a high-bridged nose, lips pressed into a firm line, and eyes glowing with golden-yellow irises.
As her golden eyes scanned, the surrounding air started to change. The oppressive, creepy atmosphere disappeared, replaced by a sense of warmth and holy presence. The darkened neighborhood brightened, as if someone had lit a powerful lamp in the night.
"A smell of death, underworld, and... hell." said the caucasian woman, her last sentence coming after a brief pause.
"A smell of death, underworld, and hell?" repeated Adam, a man with tanned skin, a clean-shaven face, and a tight buzzcut in a puzzling tone. As a member of the Inquisition, he wasn't unfamiliar with those terms. What confused him was the way the woman had said them.
'Death, underworld, and hell? Aren't they all the same? Why is she talking like they're completely different?'
"Yes," the woman replied with a nod, offering no further explanation.
Adam instinctively wanted to ask, but held his tongue. The pale-skinned woman clearly had no intention of clarifying.
Just then, a man dressed in similar fashion took a spot next to her and said, "Your Grace, there's some kind of interference jamming all our communication devices. Should we still proceed with the operation?"
"Yes. The interference had been considered during planning, so there's no need to worry. If anything happens, I'll send someone to relay my orders. Your job is to make sure that message reaches the Church."
"Yes, Your Grace! Praise the Father!" he replied, then quickly returned to his post.
Lifting her chin slightly, she addressed the remaining people, "Split into five teams of four. Two teams will follow me. The rest, secure the perimeter."
"Yes, Your Grace!" Adam and others answered in unison.
Then, raising both hands to the sky, palms open, she declared, "Be careful, everyone. Praise be to the Heavenly Father!"
"Praise be to the Heavenly Father!" Adam and the others echoed with fervor. Their hands too raised to the sky with palms open.
Led by the woman, two teams, nine people in total, entered the villa through a broken gate, pushing into the sea of tall grass. The rest of the groups fanned out into different parts of the villa.
Adam took a few deep breaths, trying to calm himself.
This was his first time participating in a major operation involving so many Inquisitors that he couldn't help but become nervous.
Though he didn't know the full details of the operation, one thing was clear to him. If it required the presence of an Archbishop and more than ten Inquisitors, the operation had to be extremely dangerous!
'Hopefully, I make it through the night... My mom's been bugging me for grandkids. If I die here, what a disappointment I'd be. More importantly, I'm still a virgin! Damn it, who would've thought someone close to thirty still hadn't graduated? Even I didn't expect myself to be this unpopular with girls. What a mess. If word ever got out… I'd be a complete laughingstock among my colleagues.'
"What's on your mind?" a voice snapped Adam back to reality.
"N-nothing, Your Grace!" He jumped slightly and turned, instantly straightening up and saluting when he realized it was the blonde woman.
'When did she get here...?' Adam was at a loss.
'Wait, she can't read minds, right? What would she think if she found her subordinate daydreaming about nonsense in the middle of a mission? Would she beat me to death for having such blasphemous thoughts? Damn it, stop, brain! If she can hear thoughts, then she's hearing all of this too!'
Adam quickly forced himself to focus.
Luckily, the blonde woman either couldn't read minds or just didn't care. She simply nodded. "Don't get lost in your own head. Distraction gets people killed."
"Y-yes, Your Grace! Thank you for the reminder!"
She gave a brief nod and returned to her place at the front of the group. Adam rubbed his cheek, wondering how long she'd been paying attention to him.
However, there wasn't much time to dwell on it. He and the other Inquisitors had finally reached the villa's yard, where the tall grass scratched at their knees with every step.
The moment Adam stepped into the overgrown yard, a wave of discomfort washed over him, and his body instinctively trembled. It felt like he had crossed into the territory that belonged to wild beasts, and they quickly became aware of his presence. In that instant, he felt exposed, as if countless unseen eyes were watching him from the shadows, studying his every move.
But when he looked up, there was nothing.
He forced himself to breathe, to stay calm, and pushed the thought aside.